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STATES OF AR T
Psychedelic dreaming TEXT: MATT ANTONIAK | PHOTO: ELZO DURT INSTALLATION. COURTESY OF MIMA MUSEUM, BRUSSELS
The latest exhibition at MIMA Museum, Brussels, is the very definition of immersive. Dream Box, involving five European artists, is the visual representation of too much late night gouda; a mind-bending, kaleidoscopic dreamscape of optical illusion and trompe l’oeil.
The conceptual premise of Dream Box is to challenge intuitive thought – the mental process that accounts for 90 per cent of all human action and makes the world comprehensible. With immersive floor-to-ceiling installations, Dream Box pushes the idea of reality to its limits and jump-starts our imagination. Of course, there are head nods to the op-art movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, but it never reaches the conceptual stuffiness of that period, offering instead a riotous, magical waltz along the tightrope of perception. I realise the futility of trying to describe artwork where the very intention is to challenge perception and be difficult to grasp, but I’ll give it a go if you’re still on the fence. In Felipe Pantone’s installation, you enter a scene from Bill Gates’ ‘90s anxiety dreams; a darkened room full of giant CD-roms floating in a tech-
nological dystopia. When you walk through Elzo Durt’s open-mouth doorway, you step into the album cover of a ‘70s psychedelia compilation, complete with added multimirror madness. It is rare that art exhibitions like this succeed, more often than not falling too far on the side of gimmick. But Dream Box manages with aplomb, balancing conceptual heft with great dollops of fun, in a show that is enjoyable for all. Dream Box is on show at MIMA Museum, Brussels, until 1 September 2019.
Matt Antoniak is a visual artist and writer living and working in Newcastle, UK. He works mainly in painting and drawing and is a founding member of the art collective M I L K.
BEER OF THE MONTH
Oud Beersel 2017 Barrel Selection Oude Pijpen Geuze TEXT & PHOTO: STUART FORSTER
The Oud Beersel Brewery is named after a municipality — roughly ten kilometres southwest of Brussels — in the Pajottenland, a region famed for beers brewed in open tanks between October and April. Known collectively as lambic beers, the region’s micro-flora and naturally occurring yeast strains are key to triggering the fermentation process. Oud Beersel’s limited edition 2017 Barrel Selection Oude Pijpen is a traditional geuze — a blend of lambic beers — that has been aged in oak barrels formerly used to transport port wine to Belgium. The 650-litre barrels that give this beer a facet of its distinctive character are 60 to 120 years old. The aroma of the beer is reminiscent of slightly sour scrumpy mixed with oak and vanilla. It is a cloudy gold in colour and should
be poured into a dry glass, while turning and coating the inside of the drinking vessel, to minimise oxidation. Some geuzes are famously sour and, traditionally, were served in thick-bottomed glasses so that women and children could crush sugar cubes to sweeten their beer. However, this beer is wonderfully rounded, has a light effervescence, a dry mouthfeel and a moreish finish. Like a good wine, this is a beer that can be laid down to be enjoyed years later due to bottle refermentation rounding its character. The ‘best before’ date on bottles suggests this beer should be consumed before the end of 2037. Oud Beersel will open its doors to visitors on 4 and 5 May as part of the biennial Toer de Geuze, which showcases the lambic breweries and blenderies of the Pajottenland. Brewer: Brouwerij Oud Beersel Alcohol content: 6.5 per cent
Stuart Forster was named Journalist of the Year at the 2015, 2016 and 2019 Holland Press Awards. Five generations of his family have been actively involved in the brewing industry.
Issue 65 | May 2019 | 75